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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26219416">hope dawns</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelle/pseuds/Estelle'>Estelle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:48:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26219416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelle/pseuds/Estelle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathaniel and Cousland have a chat at a campfire.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Male Cousland/Nathaniel Howe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Black Emporium 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>hope dawns</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/gifts">Settiai</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I know that this is a very short treat, but I saw your "fireside chats" prompt and just had this scene in my head.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nathaniel looked at Aedan over the campfire. Or he supposed <i>Warden Commander Cousland</i> was the correct way to address him now.<br/>
The rest of their party was already asleep, and Aedan had offered first watch, so there was no reason for Nathaniel to still be up, but he just couldn’t get his thoughts to slow down.<br/>
Too much had happened in the last days.<br/>
Probably noticing him staring, Aedan stood up and came over to sit down next to him.<br/>
“You should get some sleep.”<br/>
Nathaniel shrugged. “I can’t stop thinking.”<br/>
“Care to share?” Aedan looked at him curiously, and Nathaniel was reminded that they had been friends once, on the verge of something more even, but now, everything was different.<br/>
“I tried to kill you”, he said slowly. It was not something he was proud of, but it was a fact nonetheless.<br/>
“I tried to kill you, and you asked me to join you.” A lot could be said about what they had done, what their families had done, but for him, this was what it came down to, what he couldn’t understand in the least.<br/>
To his surprise, Aedan smiled that wry smile of his that Nathaniel had once been so used to seeing.<br/>
“You’re not the first one.”<br/>
When Nathaniel just looked at him in confusion, Aedan shrugged,<br/>
“I seem to be collecting people who have it out for my life. They make for quite good allies, I found.”<br/>
Bemused, Nathaniel shook his head. “I never quite got your humour.”<br/>
“That’s because you were always way too serious.” Aedan grinned at him for a moment, then he sighed.<br/>
“And that’s the whole point here, isn’t it? I <i>know</i> you. You were my friend. How could I even think about having you executed when I… when we...”<br/>
He broke off, looking down at his hands, and it was probably just the firelight, but Nathaniel could have sworn that he was blushing.<br/>
But that couldn’t be right, could it? Surely, after all this time, Aedan couldn’t still be harbouring feelings for him? After everything that had happened?<br/>
Mustering up all his courage, Nathaniel reached out and took Aedan’s hand, and when he looked up at him, a surprised smile on his lips and the fire dancing in his eyes, Nathaniel knew that they still had a long road ahead, but this felt a lot like hope.</p>
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